Dear Readers...

I have just discovered a super-cool website for the book-a-holics among us! It's called Dailylit.com and you simply MUST go check it out!

Coupons

Yes, I use coupons, both from the newspaper inserts (like my mom always did when we were growing up) and now from the Internet.  If you haven't checked out Coupons.com, do it now!  Lots of good stuff, like cereal (which Mr. Mamie eats like crazy), box-o-broth, etc. Of course, coupons work best when you use them for stuff you NORMALLY purchase - don't be buying stuff just  becasue you have a coupon!

Anyway, give Coupons.com a try; you might save a few bucks.

Project 365: Day 22 (12/10/09)

FABULOUS fleece socks - present from Travellin'Dad and CrochetMom. I am IN LUUUUUUUUV with the fleece socks! Can I wear them every night???

Mitzvah #10 (12/10/09)

Once again, I was on the receiving end of a very kind mitzvah.  I was grumbling about getting out of the warm. cozy, flannel-sheeted bed this morning in order to peel potatoes and chop onion for tonight's Crock-Pot dinner of Loaded Baked Potato Soup.  Mr. Mamie informed me that he was pretty sure that some elves would come later in the day to take care of that task, and that I should stay remain in my toasty nets for a while longer. So I did. And, the elves DID come!  They peeled and diced the potatoes and chopped the onion and added to the other ingredients in the Crock-Pot, ensuring that we had a hot, delicious dinner on a freezing evening (see that bowl on the left? That's the fabulous soup!). Thank you, Elves, for that mitzvah!

Give-away Opportunity - Cool Computer!

GREAT give-away for an HP touchsmart computer system going on here, courtesy of Stephanie at Totally Together Reviews. Though I hate reducing my own chances to win, I figured it would be mean not to share it with you!

Free iTunes holiday music!

Click here to get a FREE holiday music sampler album from iTunes! 

Nearly Wordless Wednesday

Frozen.

Mitzvah #9 (12/9/09)

Tonight, I hurried and got dinner ready early so that Mr. Mamie could eat before he went to class (no rumbly tummy to be a distraction!)

Project 365: Day 21 (12/9/09)

Yummy peppermint mocha that Mr. Mamie brought to me at my office. Such a good mid-morning treat! And there's no coffee in walking distance, so... delivery!

Project 365: Day 20 (12/8/09)

Desert snowfall.

Mitzvah #8 (12/8/09)

Today, mitzvahs were done for me, for which I am grateful:

• A colleague brought over a document I needed from next door, sparing me from going out in the freezing cold.
• Mr. Mamie came by my office shortly before I had to go start teaching my university class, both to give me xxxxxs and ooooos, and to collect various items (lunch box, thermos, etc.) I would be needing so that I wouldn't have to haul them around later.
• Another colleague provided me with a missing item for my class at the last moment, saving me from having to dig through my file cabinet.

Nice people, nice be on the receiving end!

It's like BUTTAH!

Cute logo taken directly from Tammy's blog!

This is an oldie-but-goodie: Save your butter wrappers!  I cook and bake exclusively with real butter, so I go through several quarter-pound sticks each week.  Instead of just tossing the wrapper, I fold them over (buttery side facing in)  and store them in a quart size Ziploc in the door of the freezer.  Then, when I need to grease a pan, out comes a wrapper or two.  Handy and frugal at the same time!

Now, hurry over to the Tammy's Recipes site for gobs more great tips from some smart cookies!

And after that, while we're on the subject of butter... when was the last time you read The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss?  It's one of my favorites, and I think it speaks to some of the challenges we face in the world today. Great holiday gift idea for kids, teachers, anyone!

Project 365: Day 19 (12/7/09)

Dark, wet branches; winter sky... snow's on the way!

Voo Doo Pasta - Bewitching?

Tonight's dinner was VooDoo Pasta, which I have been wanting to try for quite a while.  I was tempted to make it with Louisiana Hot Links, but held myself back out of kindness to GrandmaT.  We all liked this dish over-all, which I made with whole-wheat linguine and a Hillshire Fams smoked sausage.  The sauce was creamy and had a nice depth of flavor. Next time, I might actually try using hot links, as the smoked sausage was just slightly bland - but only if Grandma isn't home!  We also had green salad, thanks to Mr. Mamie, and our perennial favorite, Italian Cheese Bread.

Mitzvah #7 (12/7/09)

Stopped at the Igor Family house on the way home from work to retrieve GrandmaT's book and cell phone that she left there.  It was RAINING and NASTY and COLD and getting out of the warm toasty care was verrrrrrrry hard!

BUT, when we got home, I was in for a big surprise - during the day, Mr. Mamie had rearranged the garage so that our car once again fits inside! It's been well over a year since we've able to park inside, as the garage is pretty crowded with my classroom materials, the Mister's tools, bikes, camping stuff, etc. etc. etc.  It was so exciting when we got home, opened the garage, and drove right in!  Now the MarvMobile will not have to shiver in the cold and snow outside tonight.